Ange and her family’s gourmet picnic under the apple trees

A café rooted in its community

May is pretty much my favorite month! It feels like everything is coming back to life, everyday life is lighter and the best part of the year is still ahead of us! It’s also picnic season, and I’ve been wanting to discover café O’Ravito’s takeaway delights for a while, so what could be better than enjoying them with the family under the blossoming apple trees on a sunny May evening?

A café rooted in its community

Café O’Ravito is a gourmet relay located in St-Romuald. The owners are committed to the principle of circular economy, in particular to counter food waste. Firmly rooted in its community, the café encourages thoughtful, local consumption. All their creations are inspired by and made on the premises with high-quality products. The service is warm and friendly, and it’s clear that they’re passionate about what they do.

O'Ravito Café picnic at Parc de la Rivière-Etchemin in Lévis — ©Family picnic at Parc de la Rivière-Etchemin | Ange Hébert-Corriveau

Dessert from O'Ravito Café in Parc de la Rivière-Etchemin, Lévis — ©Dessert from O'Ravito Café | Ange Hébert-Corriveau

Children under the apple trees at Parc de la Rivière Etchemin in Lévis — ©Children under the apple trees at Parc de la Rivière Etchemin | Ange Hébert-Corriveau

Energizing dishes

We were tempted by the Borderon & fils bagel with salmon gravlax, the Turlo croissant with ham from a local farm, the smoked turkey baguette with apple butter and crunchy almonds, and the Appalachian grilled cheese with duck confit from Canard Goulu and oyster mushrooms from Coupe champignon. Classics revisited with taste and creativity!

O’Ravito welcomes cyclists, and many of the dishes are designed to energize and invigorate sports enthusiasts. Even without our bikes, we accompanied our sandwiches with delicious homemade juices and smoothies, a succulent boost of freshness!

We finished our meal with some of the place’s signature pastries: dark chocolate brownies, strawberry basil scones and fruit squares. Nothing too sweet, just a pleasant sweetness for the last bites.

The Rivière-Etchemin park is an excellent place to picnic, while continuing with a stroll through an exceptional and little-known site just a few kilometers from the bridges on the South Shore.

Colorful ruins

It’s a vast place, astonishing for its rich, varied and generous nature, but also steeped in history with the presence of the ruins (now colorful murals) of the former Cistercian abbey, which was razed by fire in autumn 2008. These ruins become the grandiose backdrop to an abundance of nature, and it’s amazing to see changing landscapes appear through the window frames of the old buildings still standing.

There are also woodland trails where walkers and cyclists can stretch their legs in a wooded environment (the bike path winds its way through), leading to a belvedere overlooking the widening rapids of the Etchemin River.